Kulana (Rank)
by knights13
Summary: Steve and Danny discuss the proper rank for the head of Five-O. Set early season 1.


"So… Lieutenant Commander… what is that like a Colonel or something?" Danny asked as they shared a beer out on Steve's lanai.

"Colonel is the Army, Danny." Steve says patiently, this isn't the first time he's had to correct the other man and he's sure it's far from the last.

"Yes, I know that. Well aware of that even, but as a land-loving American it tends to be the terminology that I'm most familiar with. The Army is what's advertised pretty much everywhere." Danny's hands expand to hold the following slogan, " _'Be all you can be'_. Every red-blooded American, and likely several other citizens of many foreign countries, are all well aware is the United States call to arms." He pauses looking perplexed for a brief moment. "I can't even guess what the Navy's slogan is."

"Did you know that's out of date?"

"What?"

"That slogan. It's no longer the Army recruiting catchphrase. It's _'Army Strong'_ now. _'Be all that you can be'_ stopped being used in about 2001."

Danny gives Steve an incredulous look. "Is that a fact?!"

Briefly raising both of his eyebrows at Danny, Steve grinned.

With a wave of his hand, Danny brushed that off. "My point is that Army lingo is much more common."

Shrugging, Steve took a long pull off his beer as he looked out over the water. He supposed that was all a matter of perspective. "You've never heard of _'Accelerate your life'_ or _'It's not just a job, it's an adventure'_?"

Steve could feel Danny's eyes on him. It took a couple of moments before he responded. "You know, I have, but I always thought they were for the Army too."

Curling his nose, or what Danny liked to call as Steve's aneurysm face, Steve looked back at Danny.

"What? Don't give me that look. I've told you before, the wind will change and you'll be stuck like that. Besides, before meeting you what need did I possibly have of knowing the difference? Military is military." Danny paused but then quickly added, "And before you start explaining, yes I do know the basic differences between each of the divisions."

"You sure? 'Cause, you know, we can go through them."

"No-no. It's quite okay. I'm fine." Danny turned to look back out over the water and took a drink of his beer.

A minute of comfortable silence passed. "It's comparable to a Major."

Steve's surprised that Danny doesn't respond and turns to look if the other man heard him. Danny's got his own scrunched up, aneurysm face, happening.

"What?!"

"Nothing," Danny says after a moment. His face relaxes as he continues to look out over the water. Then he shrugs and chuckles. "I just thought you were higher up on the food chain is all."

Steve's aneurysm face is back. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing, really it's nothing."

"No, clearly it's something. Come on spill."

Danny sighs, "It's just that, well, a Major is what four or five levels up? Not really what I was expecting for the leader of Hawaii's elite task force is all. I figured you'd at least be a Colonel. What's that the equivalent of?"

"A Captain," Steve says not sounding impressed.

"Really? In the Army isn't that lower than a Major?"

"It's different. Captain in the Navy is the commanding officer of a vessel, as in _the_ Captain." Thinking for a moment, Steve turns to look out over the water. "So what, you don't think I'm qualified to run the Five-O task force?"

"Oh no," Danny says quickly, "That's not what I'm saying at all. All that I am saying is that I thought you'd have a higher rank."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"No. No it is not the same thing. You, you as in Steve McGarrett, whose mission it is to leap into the fire and get me regularly shot at, seem more than qualified to run our little task force. That, and conquer a small country before lunch. I just thought the Governor would have wanted a higher-ranking officer. It's not meant to be personal criticism."

Steve squirmed slightly in his chair, trying to remove the 'personal' from the conversation. "Don't you think having a Captain, or Colonel, in charge would be overkill? I mean once you get to that stage you're used to commanding platoons, not just a small team of four."

Considering, Danny rocked his head back and forth. "Yeah, I suppose there's that."

"Not to mention as a higher ranking officer you're not really into hands-on application anymore. It's more analysis and delegation. They'd be commanding from behind the desk. Kinda like having another Captain of the police force but just for Five-O."

Danny thinks about it some more. "Yeah okay, I see you're point there too."

"Trust me, Danny, I've lead multiple teams into combat and handled far more intense situations than we've run into so far with Five-O."

"Oh, I don't doubt that at all." Danny looks back over to Steve, his face sincere. "Really, I wasn't calling into question you're credentials."

Steve nods in acceptance.

It's quiet a few minutes, both men thinking over the conversation and enjoying the view. Then Steve says, "That's not my mission, you know."

"Sorry, what's not?"

"To get you shot at on a regular basis, that's not my mission."

Danny turns in his seat to stare at Steve.

"What? It's not."

"Our first day out, our _first day_ , and I was shot and thrown back off a deck."

"Yeah, but I didn't plan that. It just sorta happened." Steve grinned. "And you've learned to duck since then. We've been out several cases since where you've not been shot at."

"I've… I've learned to duck?" Danny sputters as he turns in his seat, giving Steve his full attention.

Steve smiles big and nods, referring back to the conversation, or possibly argument, they had after Steve hung a guy off a roof near the beginning of their partnership. He knows he's pushing his luck but he can't help it.

"That's what you're going to go with?"

Steve shrugs, looks back out over the water and takes a long drink from his beer, still smiling. He knows damn well he's provoking Danny, winding him up just to get a rise out of him. The fact of the matter is, Steve's found he rather enjoys the other man's rants. Almost finds them relaxing, like all is right in their world as long as Danny is complaining.

And Danny, he doesn't disappoint.


End file.
